Philosophical Perspective of the Self PDF

**THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF** **What is Philosophy?** Philosophy is about: Finding answer to serious questions about ourselves and about world we live in: - What is morally right and wrong? And Why? - What is a good life? - Does God Exist? - What is the mind? - And...

**THE PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SELF** **What is Philosophy?** Philosophy is about: Finding answer to serious questions about ourselves and about world we live in: - What is morally right and wrong? And Why? - What is a good life? - Does God Exist? - What is the mind? - And much, much more Questioning existing knowledge and intuitions to get closer to the truth **What will you get out of Philosophy?** The Skills are: - Critical thinking - Argument skills - Communication - Reasoning - Analysis - Problem Solving Which allow you to: - Justify opinions - Spot a bad argument, no matter what the topic - Explain the people why they are wrong and you are right - Philosophy basically teaches you to think! **Pythagoras** - the first to use the term philosophy **Love of Wisdom** **Philo** - Greek word for Love **Sophia** - Greek word for Wisdom **Origin of Philosophy and Logic** - Search for truth - Search is to look for something - Search for meaning - Importance - Significance - Value - Relevance **ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS** - Socrates - Aristotle - Plato **"KNOW THYSELF"** -Socrates - Philosophers agree that self-knowledge is a prerequisite to a happy and meaningful life. **Socrates** - "AN UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING" - Every man is dualistic - Composed of body and soul - Two important aspect of his personhood - Body- Imperfect and Impermanent - Soul- Perfect and permanent **Socrates' two(2) dichotomous realms** 1\. **Physical realm** - Changeable - Transcient and - Imperfect - The Body belongs to this realm 2\. **Ideal realm** - Unchanging - Eternal, and - Immortal - The Soul belongs to this realm - Socrates was the first thinker to focus on the full power of reason on the human self: who we are, who we should be, and who we will became. - The soul strives for wisdom and perfection, and reason is the soul's tool to achieve an exalted state of life. - Our preoccupation with bodily needs such as food, drink, sex, pleasure, material possessions, and wealth keep us from attaining wisdom - A person can have a meaningful and happy life only if he becomes virtuous and know the value of himself that can be achieved through constant soul searching. - For him, this is best achieved when one tries to separate the body from the soul as much possible. **Plato** - THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL - A Student of Socrates - Philosophy of the Self can be explained as a process of self-knowledge and purification of the soul. - He believed that in the existence of the mind and soul - Mind and Soul is given in perfection with God. **Plato: Soul has three Parts** 1. **Rational Soul (Thinking Soul)** - Reason and intellect - Divine essence that enables us to think deeply, make wise choices, and achieve a true understanding of eternal truths 2. **Spirited Soul** - Emotion and passion - Basic emotions such as love, anger, ambition, empathy and aggressiveness 3. **Appetitive Soul** - Basic Needs - Includes our basis biological needs such as hunger, thirst, and sexual desire. - These three elements of our selves are in a dynamic relationship with one another, sometimes in conflict. - When conflict occurs, Plato believes that it is the responsibility of our reason to sort things out and exert control, restoring a harmonious relationship among the three elements of our selves. - Plato believes that genuine happiness can only be achieved by people who consistently make sure that their reason is control of their spirits and Appetites. **Aristotle** - THE SOUL IS THE ESSENCE OF THE SELF - A Student of Plato - The body and soul are not two separate elements but are one thing - The Soul is simply the form of the Body, and is not capable of existing without the body - The Soul is that which makes a person a person. The soul is the essence of the self - Aristotle suggests that the rational nature of the self is to lead a good, flourishing, and fulfilling life - Without the body the soul cannot exist. The Soul dies along with the body. **Aristotle** - Soul and Body, I suggest react sympathetically upon each other. A change in the state of the soul produces a change in the shape of the body and conversely, a change in the shape of the body produces a change in the state of the soul. **St. Augustine** - I A DOUBTING THEREFORE I AM - Integrated the ideas of Plato and Christianity - Augustine's view of the human person reflects the entire spirit of the medieval world. - The soul is united with the body so that man may ne entire and complete - Believed human kind is created in the image and likeness of God - Therefore, the Human person being a creation of God is always geared towards the good. - The self is known only through knowing God - Self-knowledge is a consequence of knowledge of God - "Knowledge can only come by seeing the truth that dwell within us" **Rene Descartes** - I AM DOUBTING THEREFORE I AM - The act of thinking about self-of being self-conscious -- is in itself proof that there is self **Descartes' two (2) distinct entities** 1. **Cogito (Mind)** - The Thing that Thinks **2. Extenza (Body)** - The Extension Body Cogito ergo sum 'I Think therefore, I am" **John Locke** - THE SELF IS CONSCIOUSNESS - The Human mind at birth is tabula rasa or blank slate - He felt that the self is constructed primarily from sense experiences Locke theorized that when they are born, all babies know absolutely nothing In essence, he argued that the inside of a baby's brain was empty ready to learn everything through experience **The Self is consciousness** - Consciousness - Necessary to have a coherent personal identity or knowledge of the self as a person - What makes possible our belief that we are the same identify in different situations. **Maurice Merleau-Ponty** - THE SELF IS EMBODIED SUBJECTIVITY - The mind-body bifurcation that has been going in for a long time is a futile endeavor and an invalid problem - All Knowledge of ourselves and our world is based on subjective experience - The Self can never be truly objectified or known in a completely objective sort of way The Self is embodied subjectivity **Paul Churchland** - THE SELF IS THE BRAIN - The self is in separable from the brain and physiology of the body - All we have is the brain and so, if the brain is gone there is no self - The Physical brain and not the imaginary mind, gives us our sense of self - The mind does not really exist - It is the brain and not the imaginary mind that gives us our sense of self - The self is the brain **Gilbert Ryle** - THE SELF IS THE WAY PEOPLE BEHAVE - Self is not an entity one can locate and analyze but simply the convenient name that people use to refer to all the behaviors that people make - I act therefore I am, in short, the self is the same as bodily behavior - The Self is the way people behave **THE PHYSICAL SELF** **PHYSICAL SELF** - Refers to the body. This is the part of us that can be directly seen and observed by everyone. - In general, body performs its functions least well during (1) infancy and (2) old age. - Physical efficiency generally peaks in early adulthood and declines into the middle age. - Physical development and growth during childhood continues at a slow rate compared with rapid rate of growth in babyhood. **ADOLESCENCE** - is the period between the start of the puberty and beginning of adulthood. - this stage is characterized by rapidly physical changes that includes the maturation of the reproductive system. **LIFE SPAN** - Development from conception of death **ELIZABETH B. HURLOCK** - Outlined the stages in life span - Divided the stages into 10 parts **STAGES OF LIFE SPAN** **FACTORS AFFECTING PHYSICAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT** **NATURE VERSUS NURTURE DEBATE** **Nature** - Socio-biologists, psychologists and others in the natural sciences argue that behavior traits can be explained by genetics. **Nurture** - Sociologists, anthropologist, and other in the social sciences argue that human behavior is learned and shaped through interaction. **1.HEREDITY** - biological process of transmission of traits from parents of offspring - the sex and other physical traits are determined by the combination of (1) chromosome and (2) genes during fertilization (the union of the two cells: Egg and Sperm) **CHROMOSOMES** - thread like tissues that carries the genes, and are usually found in pairs. - 25 pairs of chromosomes **Two (2) types:** 1. Autosomes or trait chromosomes (22 pairs) 2. Gonosome or sex chromosomes (the X and Y) **GENES** - Basis carriers of hereditary traits - Can be classified into: 1. Dominant (strong genes) 2. Recessive (weak genes) **2.ENVIRONMENT** - refers to the factors to which the individual is exposed after conception to death which includes learning and experience - factors such as diet, nutrition, and diseases play an important role in physical development. **Body Image is.........** - refers to how individuals perceive, think, and feel about their body and physical appearance. - How you see yourself when you look in the mirror or when you picture yourself in your mind - What you believe about your own appearance (including your memories, assumptions, and generalizations) - How you feel about your body, including your height, shape and weight. - How you sense and control your body as you move. **APPEARANCE** - Everything about a person that other can observe such as height, weight, skin color, clothes, and hairstyle. **SELF-ESTEEM** - a person's overall evaluation of his or her own worth. **CAUSE OF POOR BODY IMAGE** - Emphasis on thin ideal body - Bullying and poor pressure - Media **EFFECT OF POOR BODY IMAGE** - Body Dissatisfaction - Depression - Low-self esteem - Eating disorder (Anorexia Nervosa) - Form Body Modification **Positive Body Image is...** - a clear, true perception of your shape- you see the various parts of your body as they really are. - You celebrate and appreciate your natural body shape and you understand that a person's physical appearance says very little about their character and value as a person. - you feel proud and accepting of your unique body and refuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight, and calories. - you feel comfortable and confident in your body. **CAN YOU CHANGE A POOR BODY IMAGE** - Sure, you can! - The first things to do is recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size, or color it come is. - Next, identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change and which you can't. Everyone has things about themselves that they can't change and need to accept- like their height, or their shoe size. - If there are things about yourself that you want to change and can (such as how fit you are) do this by making goals for yourself. - When you hear negative comments from within yourself, tell yourself to stop. Try building your self-esteem by giving yourself three compliments every day. **How do you define beauty?** - In Egyptian art, beauty is portrayed in women with slim, high waist, narrow hips and long black hair. - Women with full figure and rounded hips were considered beautiful during the Renaissance period. - Some tribes (e.g Africa) during the medieval age consider chubby, fat or plum women beautiful. - Some tribes in Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia considered flat noses to be the most attractive. - Standards of beauty have change over time based on changing cultural values. - All cultures have, more or less, the same concept standards of beauty. **Standards of Beauty** - Clean and unblemished skin - Thick shinny hair - Well-proportioned bodies - Symmetrical faces - Beauty is considered important throughout history. - This is because these features indicate youth, health, good genes, and fertility. - Beauty is important in all societies. - Attractive people have a lot of advantages in life. **ABOVE ALL THINGS PHYSICAL, IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE BEAUTIFUL IN THE INSIDE.**